Micro Machines

Micro Machines were a toy line released by Galoob sometime in the mid eighties. Initially, they were tiny models of cars. They eventually expanded their line to include airplanes and boats. Galoob released playsets for the tiny vehicles, such as the Micro Machines Aircraft Carrier.

During the time of Desert Storm, Galoob began creating specific series within their toy line. One of the first such series was the "military" series, which featured many modern American military vehicles (such as the General DynamicsM1A1 Abrams tank and the Fairchild RepublicA-10 Warthog tank busting attack plane). The line was also unique because they created tiny soldier figures and playsets for their vehicles.

Some time in 1993 to 1994, Galoob began to release more specialized vehicles. Some of these series included Star Wars and Star Trek vehicles. These two lines grew to include many vehicles, and in the case of Star Wars, many playsets and figures.

Galoob continued to produce the regular small cars in addition to many specialized lines. They were purchased by Hasbro in late 1998.

These toys offered hours of enjoyment to many of us growing up. The Star Wars and Star Trek models have become very collectible.

All feature roughly the same good gameplay: race little cars around tracks that you could almost set up around your house. There are courses that take place on the kitchen table, dodging stale cheerios and sticky jam. There are tracks on the beach, in the garden, on the dinner table, on a pool table, and many more.

When racing against your friends, instead of the lamesplit-screen mode featured in many multiplayerconsole games, all the cars are on the screen at once. If lag behind, and hit the back end of the screen, you are eliminated. The last car left on the screen scores a point, and everyone is put back on the course again for another go. The first player to accumulate a set number of points is the winner. (Actually, for four players, you lose two points for being the first off the screen, one for being second, gain a point for third, and the remaining player gains two points)

There are a lot of things that make Micro Machines 64 great. The tracks are creative and fun, and their boundaries are open to interpretation. Discovering a nice shortcut can often help you leave your opponents in the dust. Another great feature is the handful of weapons you can pick up. One of them is a giant hammer which you can use to smash the ground a few inches in front of you, obliterating an unlucky racer. The hammer makes a great pounding sound, and always inspires fear in others and maniacal laughter from its wielder.

The gameplay is fast and furious, and every time you sit down to play against some friends, there's bound to be many memorable moments. If that's not enough for you, get this: you can play with eight players. Yes, there are only four controllers; you play with a teammate, the two of you sharing a controller, half of the buttons being enough to steer your car, the other half used for his. It actually works decently, and with eight cars on the screen (to start out), a sort of wonderful mayhem takes place.

In conclusion, no matter what generation Nintendo console you own, Micro Machines is sure to provide you with goodness.